Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso is keen on an exit from Stamford Bridge in the summer, and Serie A giants Napoli are interested in signing him.
Accordign to a report from Fichajes, Napoli have set their sights on a potential move for Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso, who is keen on leaving the club midway at the end of the season.
Alonso has been with Chelsea since 2016 when he arrived on the summer transfer deadline day from Serie A outfit Fiorentina. Signed by Antonio Conte, the Spaniard played a key role in the Blues’ Premier League title triumph in his debut season. However, following Conte’s exit in 2018, the wing-back’s importance in the squad was somewhat reduced.
Both Maurizio Sarri and Frank Lampard were reluctant to use him regularly, with the latter even freezing the Spaniard out of the first-team squad last season following a fallout. However, the appointment of Thomas Tuchel in January earlier this year gave Alonso a second lease on life at Chelsea, and he grabbed it with both hands.
The 30-year-old, in fact, started the current season as the first-choice left wing-back ahead of Ben Chilwell, although he did lose his place to the England international. But the ex-Leicester City star’s long-term injury has seen Alonso gain prominence again.
However, with Chelsea seeking the signing of a new left-back in Lucas Digne, Alonso is worried over his prospects of regular game-time if the Blues sign the Everton man and once Chilwell returns from injury. The veteran left-back is keen on making the cut for the Spain squad for the World Cup next year and wants to play regularly to stake a claim for a spot in Luis Enrique’s team.
As a result, he has asked Chelsea to sanction an exit at the end of the season, which the Blues could agree to, considering that he will be entering the final year of his contract in the summer. And Napoli are hoping to capitalise on the situation and sign the Spanish international up should he be made available for a transfer.
The Partenopei have Mario Rui and Faouzi Ghoulam as options in the left-back slot. However, the latter is set to be out of contract at the end of the season, and given that he has had fitness problems of late, the Serie A bigwigs might decide not to renew his deal and bring in a new player, explaining their interest in Alonso.
However, Napoli might have to contend with competition from fellow Serie A outfit Lazio, who are also keen on signing the Chelsea defender. So, it remains to be seen who ends up signing Alonso, who remains keen on securing an exit from Stamford Bridge come summer.
